Destiny
by descentofthedoppelganger
Summary: One-shot. This is an altered ending for the gift. There aren't too many changes. Just a little to make it lean more toward Spuffy. Read and Review?


This isn't anything special really. Just an Alternate gift ending. Not much different. Just little changes to lean more toward Spuffy. Hope you like it. Tell me what you think. I enjoy the feedbak. It makes me smile. ;D

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters. As much as I would like to have Spike AND Angel all to myself they belong to Joss. This is just me playing around with his ideas.**

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**Destiny**

Buffy raced up the stairs of the tower, leaving Ben slash Glory, bleeding and broken. On her way up she saw Spike spiraling to the ground, his long black duster twisting aorund him and she involuntarily called out his name. He lied motionless for a few seconds before starting to throw the rubble off his body. Buffy continued to climb the tower, knowing she didn't have much time, when she noticed Spike finally getting up and following her up the tower again. She sighed in relief and kept on going.

She finally reached the top, finding an old man with a long ceremonial looking knife. So this is who threw Spike? THe sudden urge to hurt him grew stronger. He was in the middle cutting Dawn and her blood was already starting to flow. She was too late. He turned to face her, lifting the knife with a wide sadistic smile on his face, but before the man even had a chance to say anything she threw him over the edge harshly, storming right over to Dawn's side. She didn't have time to think, she just untied Dawn as the ground underneath their feet began to rumble.

"Go!" Buffy screamed at her sister, pointing toward the stairs. But Dawn shook her head.

"Buffy it's started." Dawn said solemnly, as the portal's energy built behind them. Flashes of light shooting toward the ground. "I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter." Buffy soothed her stroking her hair. Spike appeared at the stairway and his eyes widened at the portal behind his two girls. He rushed to their side as a huge dragon erupted from the portal roaring overhead.

Dawn nodded her head, wavering determination in her eyes. She started to run forward but Spike and Buffy grabbed one of her arms pulling her back.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked her, confusion written all over her face. What was Dawn trying to do?

"I have to jump. The energy." she told them, tears cascading down her face as she locked eyes with her sister.

"It'll kill you." Buffy said, shaking her head resolutely.

"I know. Buffy, I know about the ritual. I have to stop it." Dawn insisted, hysteria blanketing her tone.

"No." Buffy told her firmly. She won't let Dawn give up her life. Not tonight. Not ever.

"I have to. Look what's happening. Buffy, you have to let me go. Blood starts it, and until the blood stops flowing, it'll never stop." she cried, gesturing toward the world below. Screams wafted from the ground and foriegn demons and creatures roamed picking off anyone they could. Buffy looked up at Spike in indecision and then it hit her.

She was in the magic box and Spike was talking to the Scooby gang about the ritual albeit he was arguing with Xander...

'Cause it's always got to be blood.'

Then she was in the hospital when Glory kidnapped Dawn.

'Its summers blood. Just like mine.' Buffy told her sister, lifting her hand to hers mixing their blood together.

'Death is your gift.' The first slayer had told Buffy. Death _was _her gift. Her gift to give the world.

"Death…is my gift." Buffy said. Spike's brows furrowed as he tried to decipher Buffy's sudden statement. His eyes widen as he realized what Buffy meant and he grabbed her arm in a vice grip.

"Buffy…no." he pleaded desperately. She looked into his eyes and she could see the pain in his cerulean eyes. She saw the man she denied was ever there.

"Buffy ... No!" Dawn screamed as Buffy wrenched myself from Spike's grip and turn towards her fate. _I have to jump. It's the only way. It's what I have to do._

"Dawnie, I have to." she explained, turning back to face her, acceptance and fear intermingling in her hazel green eyes.

"No!" Dawn shouted, trying to hold her sister in place.

"Listen to me. Please, there's not a lot of time, listen. Dawn, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will _always _love you. But this is the work I have to do. Tell Giles… Tell Giles I figured it out. And, and I'm okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me." she encouraged, swiping a strand of hair from Dawn's tear stained face.

Buffy felt a stray tear of her own sliding down her cheek as she turned to Spike. _Spike_.

"Remember what I said?" she asked him, ignoring his pleas. _I know what I have to do. _He nodded silently, tears of his own making their his way down his face.

"Buffy. Please don't." he begged, putting his hands on her arms and pulling her toward him. She let him pull her closer and squeeze her in a tight hug. A hug any other person most definitely wouldn't have survived. She buried her face into the crook of Spike's neck. Buffy leaned in to more and he kept his arms wrapped around her, reluctant to let her go. Thats when she moved her mouth to his ear.

"Keep her safe." she whispered, her hot breath hitting his neck. She pulled back and kissed him lightly. Not desperate, nor pitying but gentle. "I want you to know. I was close." she said with a smile after she pulling away.

"Close to what?" he asked, his voice filled with unshed tears and defeat.

"Falling for you." she replied huskily. And then just like that she was running. Leaving Dawn and Spike's distant cries behind her. But she couldn't stop. _I won't be able to follow through if I do. _

_This is my destiny. _


End file.
